MODERN CLASSICS: Ferrari 458 Speciale & 488 Pista

These are undoubtedly two of the most exciting mid-engined Ferraris to be built in recent times. They have much in common, but from behind the wheel there are significant differences. We drive them back-to-back at Zwartkops. 

Words: Wilhelm Lutjeharms

Images: Stefan Kotze

The alarm clock goes off at 05:00. But after a 30-minute drive and with the sun already up, the early start is quickly forgotten. I park my car in the pits of Zwartkops Raceway, looking forward to an epic duel.

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As I approach, I hear the deep, gruff burble of two of Ferrari’s greatest cars from the past two decades. The headlights and angular shapes of the 458 Speciale and 488 Pista fill my view. An exhilarating morning lies ahead.

Siblings

Both represent the lightweight, more focused version of their more mainstream siblings, the Speciale being to the 458 Italia what the Pista is to the 488 GTB. It can be argued that these two are the most affordable way to get access to Ferrari’s rarer models, although they do not form part of the limited numbered cars. 

Our track time is limited though and the owner asks me which one I want to drive first. I have a standing policy to always drive the oldest first, thus grabbing the Speciale’s keys. I had a brief drive in a Speciale many years ago, but it was on a public road. Here we have an empty track, mild temperatures and a few laps to play with…

Speciale first

The Speciale’s cabin is more basic than a standard 458 Italia's, but to call it stripped out would be incorrect. The use of lightweight materials becomes evident as I close the door with its carbon-fibre and Alcantara panels, the cabin offering a high level of comfort but at the same time no unnecessary equipment. There is, for example, plenty of space in the footwell while the seats offer great support combined with a level of luxury. As with all Ferraris these days, the long gearshift paddles are fixed to the steering column.

The seatbelt is a four-point harness, although it is the easy type which does away with the racing centre unit, offering the easier standard seatbelt clip instead. Needless to say, it keeps you securely in place. 

I twist the key and then press the starter button, also positioned on the steering wheel. With an urgent bark from the exhausts the engine catches and I pull the carbon-fibre paddle to select first gear. With an un-even and throaty burble from the exhaust I pull off and head onto the track. The first few corners I take it easy, but even so the turn-in of the Speciale is sharp. Each downshift, even if it is only at 4-, 5- or 6 000 rpm is accommodated by an immediate bark from the exhausts as the engine auto-blips. 

I start pressing the car a little harder and the Speciale blooms as I turn in a little quicker and chase that 9 000 rpm red line. The minimal inertia from the engine allows the revs to climb at quite a rate, complemented by the seven-speed dual-clutch Getrag gearbox shifting with enthusiasm and blistering speed. 

The exhaust sound is such a huge part of the experience, especially as the owner had the catalysts and silencers removed. One would think that it might ruin the original sound (so carefully developed by Ferrari’s engineers) – but it hasn’t. It sounds the part and simply turns up the volume to 11 while remaining true to that of the original.

The brake pedal feels strong with good feedback, although being someone else’s car I bleed off speed long before the brake marker. At all times the car feels light and nimble and even if you have been exposed to several different high-performance cars in the past once you start to understand the engine’s delivery, it won’t take long to fully enjoy this car. Grip levels are good, but at the same time, especially in the slower corners, I sense that you can play with the car.

The view over the relatively short nose allows you to place the car perfectly through the apex and you feel part of it in a way that most front-engined cars cannot replicate.

The Speciale is better than I remember. Possibly because a track excursion allows you to focus one hundred percent on the car and the experience with no other traffic or distractions to deal with. It is completely understandable why values have increased. It is a very unique car and deserves all the love and attention it gets.

The last lightweight V8

Parked next to it is the Pista that immediately looks more modern. But only in some minor ways. There are more aerodynamic addenda compared to the slightly older Speciale. In some ways one could say that the Speciale has a marginally smoother design to the more aggressive Pista. While form most definitely follows function in both instances, the difference in design approach can be seen when comparing, for instance, the discreet “shark” winglet design of the Speciale to the large and very obvious air intakes on the sides of the Pista. 

Then also, additional winglets in the front and rear, not to mention the more significant air duct at the front, makes the Pista’s intent much clearer than the more subtle Speciale. View both cars from the back, and the similarities in terms of the diffuser and rear addenda are immediately apparent, even though the Pista has a larger integrated rear “wing”, whereas the Speciale has the more conservative upper rear design.

That is also the case with the Pista’s cabin. It is more modern, but the minor upgrades won’t be noticed within the first few seconds. The principle remains the same though. The cabin is a more focused version of the 488 GTB, but any Speciale owner will immediately feel at home as all the instruments are located in approximately the same position. Having said that, I did not play around with any of the settings as the main objective was the put both cars in “Race” mode and drive them back-to-back in the limited time we had at hand.

With the Manettino dialed to Race, I set off. It only takes minor inputs of the throttle to realize there are totally different forces at play behind your shoulders.
Part throttle inputs are accompanied by waves of torque that push you forward and is completely at odds to the torque and power delivery of the Speciale’s engine. Suddenly a significant amount of revs are not necessary to accelerate, or at least, not in the same manner as the Speciale. The exhaust note is expectedly slightly softer, but don’t be fooled: it has a very strong voice with that raw, metallic sound still very much in evidence.

Talking to a mechanical engineer and ex-colleague who attended the launch of the car, he shares the following: “To measure throttle response in a car, Ferrari’s engineers drive the vehicle in a steady-state condition in third gear at 2 000 rpm on a level road. The accelerator is then mashed to the floor and the engine’s increase in torque delivery over time is calculated by measuring the acceleration (or fitting torque-measuring hub devices to the wheels). The in-house specification records the time it takes to achieve 90% of the theoretical maximum-torque value at a given engine speed. In the case of the 488 Pista, this is a class-leading 0,8 seconds.” That explains the on-demand intensity of the engine.

With the tires a little warmer I hold longer onto each gear and suddenly the violence with which torque is delivered surprises me. It feels notably faster than the Speciale and it will be very easy to allow your enthusiasm and eagerness to explore the limits of the car to get the better of you. The carbon-composite brakes work perfectly and have the expected slightly rough sound to them, but the moment you press the throttle the torque is immediately on offer and pushes you down the straight with such intent that I often find myself changing up 1 000 rpm too early. It feels like you must be close to the redline, but then you realize that is not the case. It is when driving the car to the limit when the rev lights on the steering wheel really come into their own, as you simply do not have enough time to look down at the rev counter when really pushing it.

For the fastest track times it is best to leave the gearbox in its auto setting. However, it is also immensely satisfying to change gears when you want to and execute a down change when you feel like it. Another option is to keep the left paddle pulled in as you brake into a corner and allow the box to change to the lowest gear for your entry speed.

I do one final lap and remain completely astonished by the performance on offer. It is the torque availability throughout the rev range that makes this car a completely different driving experience compared to the Speciale. You really need to have your wits about you to fully explore its potential!

With only a few laps in each car it is difficult to judge decisively the difference between the steering feedback in both cars. Originally, I found the 458 Speciale offering marginally more levels of feedback. If that was the case, it is negligeable though and there were so many other factors to pay attention to that were different between these cars other than the steering feel. 

I pull into the pits on a high and buzzing – it has been a while since a car(s) have had this effect on me. The last time it was an atmospheric flat-six engine revving to 9 000rpm in a Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the V10 from a Lamborghini Huracán Performante that revs to over 8 000 rpm. I didn’t expect the Pista to have this effect on me, but its performance is truly astounding.

Owner’s thoughts

I relax a little and start sharing my thoughts with the owner. He in turn explains that he has done one other thing on both cars apart from the changes to the exhaust system. The stripes running over the cars always end at the rear wing, and the fact that they don’t continue all the way down seemed out of place to him. He therefore had them extended and being of the same quality as the original stripes, they don't look out of place. 

The owner has had both these cars since new and eagerly shares his thoughts. “First of all, what makes them special for me is that they are limited in numbers, are lightweight and they are relatively hardcore. I also prefer to enjoy my money in this way rather than just sitting in an investment. The Pista, even just driving it to the track this morning, is surprisingly civilized – maybe too civilized. However, you really need to be careful with the performance on offer. If you don’t know what you are doing, depending on the driving mode, the back can easily step out.

“The Speciale is even more raw. It is harsher in many ways, but the Pista does everything better in a more civilized and smoother manner. To be honest, it almost worries me, coercing you into thinking it is a docile machine. If I must choose one, it will probably be the Pista. But, if I had to sell one, it will be a very, very difficult choice for me.

“I far prefer the mid-engined cars to the front-engined cars. You can drive to the track, do a few laps and head home. Even with the standard settings and street tires you can do phenomenally fast lap times.”

Specifications:

Ferrari 458 Speciale

Engine: 4.5-litre, V8, petrol

Power: 445 kW at 9 000 rpm 

Torque: 540 N.m at 6 000 rpm 

Transmission: 7-speed auto, RWD

Weight: 1 395 kg

0-100 km/h: 3.0 seconds

Top Speed: 325 km/h

Ferrari 488 Pista

Engine: 3.9-litre, V8, turbopetrol

Power: 530 kW at 8 000 rpm 

Torque: 770 N.m at 3 000 rpm 

Transmission: 7-speed auto, RWD

Weight: 1 385 kg

0-100 km/h: 2.85 seconds

Top Speed: 340 km/h